1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a confectionery coated chewing gum composition having improved shelf life. More particularly, this invention pertains to a coated chewing gum having a soft, flexible reduced-calorie gum base center portion having an enhanced hydrophilic nature and a confectionery coating over the center portion. The improved center of the confectionery coated gum has reduced moisture absorption properties and increased resistance to staling and may be used with a wide variety of confectionery coatings. The present invention also pertains to methods for preparing the improved confectionery coated chewing gum compositions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Confectionery coated chewing gum compositions are well known in the art. In general, such coated or pellet gums consist of a center portion or core having a chewing gum composition which is covered by a confectionery outer coating. The center or inner portion of the composition is usually a soft chewing gum and the outer coating is crispy and crunchy. The center portion and confectionery coating may be sugar or sugarless. Generally, the chewing gum center portion must be conditioned prior to coating to insure that the outer coating will adhere uniformly to the chewing gum center.
Chewing gum compositions typically contain a water-insoluble chewable gum base, a bulking agent, and other additives such as a sweetening agent and a flavoring agent. Usually the gum base also contains plasticizers or softeners to improve the consistency and texture of the gum. The bulking agent generally comprises water-soluble sweeteners such as sucrose or corn syrup or, in sugarless gums, sorbitol and mannitol together with an artificial sweetener.
A commonly noted problem with chewing gums is the tendency for certain gums to lose moisture during storage which results in the chewing gum product becoming inelastic resulting in a brittle and crumbly or "stale" product. Other gums tend to absorb moisture under humid conditions and become soft and sticky and more difficult. to coat with a confectionery coating. Gums having traditional gum base and bulking agent content are subject to the heat, humidity and air flow generated during the coating process. Nonstaling gums are usually formulated to exclude moisture or entrap the moisture in the gum base. These gums are generally prepared using humectants to soften the gum. These humectants tend to be hygroscopic causing the gum to absorb up to about 30% moisture on storage which results in the gum product losing its firmness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,422, issued to Yang et al. and assigned to Warner-Lambert Company, discloses a gum composition having improved resistance to staling comprising a substantially anhydrous mixture of a gum base, at least one sugar alcohol, and glycerin, wherein the gum composition contains no greater than 2% by weight of water. Gum products made according to this invention are generally softer but absorb significant amounts of moisture, up to about 35%.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,806, issued to Carroll et al. and assigned to Nabisco Brands, Inc., discloses a soft flexible gum composition containing a gum base, a sweetening agent, and about 10%-30% of a cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate having a moisture content from about 4% to about 12%.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,134, issued to Witzel et al. and assigned to Life Savers, Inc., discloses a method for improving the flexibility retention of a chewing gum composition which comprises incorporating an aqueous softener in a gum base, admixing a sweetener to the gum base-softener mixture, and thereafter admixing a humectant into the mixture. The moisture is entrapped in the gum base and is separated from the humectant to decrease staleness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,234, issued to Cherukuri et al. and assigned to Warner-Lambert Company, discloses a chewing gum composition having improved resistance to staling comprising a chewing gum having a moisture content of up to about 0.3% wherein the gum has an equilibrium relative humidity value lower than the ambient relative humidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,125, issued to Cherukuri et al. and assigned to Warner-Lambert Company, discloses a chewing gum composition having improved resistance to staling comprising a chewing gum having a moisture content of up to about 0.9% wherein the gum has an equilibrium relative humidity value lower than the ambient relative humidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,738, issued to Cherukuri et al. and assigned to Warner-Lambert Company, discloses a gum composition having improved resistance to becoming stale comprising a soft gum base, a solid water-soluble natural sweetening agent and a flavoring agent absorbed into the microchannels of an edible food material. No humectants or other moisture containing ingredients are used and the gum composition has a moisture content of up to about 0.9%, by weight of the final composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,223, issued to Perfetti et al. and assigned to Gum Base Co., SPA, discloses a no-calorie chewing gum composition which comprises from 92% to 99% of a gum base, up to 4% of glycerol, and up to 3% of a flavoring agent. The gum base comprises from 8% to 15% of an elastomer, from 10% to 30% of a hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated animal or vegetable oil, from 10% to 39% of an inert mineral filler, from 8% to 25% of polyvinyl acetate, from 4% to 9% of fatty acid glycerides, from 15% to 25% of resins, from 2% to 6% of natural gum, from 4% to 12% of wax and up to 0.05% of antioxidants.
While the above chewing gum compositions provide gums having improved stability during storage by either entrapping moisture in the gum base or modifying the humectants to prevent moisture absorption, none of the above compositions provides a completely satisfactory confectionery coated gum composition. Accordingly, it would be commercially advantageous to provide a confectionery coated chewing gum which is both a soft flexible gum with increased resistance to staling and a gum which has reduced moisture absorption properties. The present invention provides such an improved confectionery coated chewing gum product having improved shelf life without the disadvantages characteristic of previously known products. In particular, the present invention provides a confectionery coated chewing gum composition containing a reduced-calorie gum base center portion which may be used with a wide variety of confectionery coatings. The present invention also pertains to methods for preparing the improved confectionery coated chewing gum compositions.